New Sponges (Not Peace and Love) Solve Bacterial Warfare

You go to the makeup counter or drug store (or wherever you buy your products) and purchase your powder compact, either for home or handbag take-along use. It comes with an applicator sponge or puff, usually round or rectangular in shape. You use it for a few weeks and notice that it becomes a little, shall we say, gunky on the applicator side, as well as perhaps a little dirty on the side you have had your hand on. You decide on the lesser of two evils and flip it over. A few more weeks go by. Soon the "new" side is indistinguishable from the first side. But, wait, your sponge is spent and you haven't even worn a hole in your powder yet? What are you supposed to do? Please don't answer this question (even in your head) by saying "keep using the sponge until the powder runs out." This is the wrong answer and will lead to a sponge that looks like this:

This formerly-bright white specimen (for that is the only word I can think to use for it) is, alas, real, and belonged to a dear friend of mine who now knows what I am about to tell you: The sponge that comes with your compact will never last as long as the powder! Why is this important to know? Because as your sponge becomes more used, it's accumulating oils and dirt from your face, and every time you use the powder (perhaps to cover a breakout or two or to absorb oily shine?) you are doing yourself a great disservice because you are merely clogging your skin up further with your own dirt, oil and dead skin cells from earlier, which has now become all mixed together with the lovely powder you spent your good money on. This witches' brew of bacteria and grime is going back into your pores every time you whip out that sponge. Moreover, if you're prone to breakouts to begin with, you are probably breaking yourself out even more.  

Since you now know that your sponge will never last as long as your powder, you should always have an endless supply of replacement sponges of similar size and shape ready to switch out every few weeks...more frequently in the summer (sometimes I switch out once a week during the hot months). These sponges are fortunately easy to find, and - best of all - cheap. You can find them at any drug store, Target, Bed, Bath and Beyond or other store that has a healthy supply of beauty products. If you are fortunate enough to live in New York, the best place to find replacement sponges in my humble opinion is that incomparable Temple of Beauty and magenta wigs, Ricky's. There, among many other things (more on that in another post) you can find my personal favorites, the 24-pack replacement sponges for $4.99!

And there you have it...one of the secrets to clean, clear, bacteria-free skin! And so easy!